Yesterday John and I began the horrible task of cleaning up our office, and I quickly got sidetracked when I found one of my old calendars. It was the June 2013- June 2014 calendar and I had wondered where I had stashed it because it wasn't with the other ones.
So I began to look through it, knowing I was walking into some sadder times in my life. For in that year, as a family, we faced two deaths which were very painful. Gus died in November, actually coming up on that anniversary, and Sarah died on Gus' 25th birthday. Both of them were family, one blood, one emotionally, and both died way too young. Both were intelligent, loved life and touched many lives. Both are missed everyday. There are and will be times that the grief is overwhelming, no matter the years that pass. However, there are also times when remembering them brings laughter, joy and love and I rejoice that they were a part of my life, even for such a short time.
Such thoughts at this time of year make for a weird kind of thankfulness. Thankfulness and grief do not usually share the same page during this time of the year. In this season of thankfulness, we give thanks for the beauty which surrounds us, the blessings of family, a warm home, and the privileges we have received or gained in life. We give thanks for our faith in God, a faith which Frederick Buechner writes should be a verb, faith should be active and alive in our lives. Buechner also writes that Jesus took the hand of Jarius' daughter and said, Talith cumi,"Little girl, get up", giving us the hope that death isn't the end, even before Jesus resurrected. The words and and actions of Jesus give us hope and thankfulness, even in death.
This is our season of thankfulness, and our thankfulness includes the saints of our past who have taught, touched, and shepherded our lives, making us who we are. Our challenge is if we are using the tools they gave us to make a difference in the world.
Peace.
